Today, most of us live and work on one screen or another. Real estate professionals in particular understand that phones and tablets enable them to work from anywhere, anytime. 95% of buyers use online tools in the search process.
Consequently, the battleground for business is now almost entirely online; agents need to make a powerful impression from their digital presence and for their listings before ever scheduling an in-person meeting. For agents or brokerages looking to gain a competitive advantage or move inventory quickly, using technology in a strategic way is now critical to the success of any real estate business.
The team behind Studeo’s platform recognized that if agents and brokerages aren’t winning online, they aren’t winning. The company designed a solution to transform the way agents communicate a vision of lifestyle and differentiated value — both for their listings and for themselves.
But we wanted to understand more about this transformative digital strategy from the agents who adopted the platform. Why did they do it? How does it work?
“Studeo surpassed everyone’s expectations!”
Joel Diaz is Director of Operations for the RE/MAX office in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Marketing is a major focus for the team.
“The marketing department is the hub of our office,” he said. “We’re always looking for the next thing to help our agents go to the next level. But it had to be something we hadn’t seen before.”
Joel was introduced to Studeo and took it for a test drive. By the time he showed it to his agents, he knew he’d found a tool they’d all make use of.
“The team loved it. They saw the potential to promote their listings but also other uses for our company. We use the platform to promote individual agents, create compelling market updates, and promote community events.”
Diaz already provides top shelf technology in his marketing department, including an in house photographer, videographer, and Matterport cameras. Studeo brings together all the elements agents love.
“Once my agents get a listing, they add everything to the Studeo storybook: the photos, video, Matterport, plus reports such as the inspections and utility checklists, all embedded as the links. We have graphics and links to schools, township or city websites, social media, community reports, floor plans. As one of my agents said, ‘I don’t need another brochure ever again!’”
Diaz is happy to report that Studeo surpassed everyone’s expectations.
“Adding the community component is a way to sell more than the house. It helps us sell a lifestyle. We’ll build a Studeo storybook and look at what makes a neighborhood special. For example, we have historic locations and a stunning golf course in the neighborhoods we serve. The cinemagraphs really help add that special element to tell those stories.”
“It’s like having a production studio at our fingertips!”
Vanessa Saunders is with Global Property Systems (GPS), headquartered in White Plains, New York, and with offices in Manhattan, Munich, Manila, and Milan. Their cloud-based residential divisions are fully global.
Saunders is also in a constant search for new tools that will help her team compete and differentiate.
“I liked the idea of being able to tell a story by creating interactive, compelling storybooks for our listings,” Saunders shared. “It made sense to me to do something different from the norm. After all, GPS is a marketing/real estate brokerage hybrid, so we are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to produce marketing that make our listings stand out from the crowd. The possibilities that the Studeo platform provides are seemingly endless, and that’s the key.
Many SaaS platforms offer little support, both technically and in making sure the integration into the business is successful. Saunders quickly realized how hands-on Studeo team was and how dedicated they were to her team’s success.
“Studeo is best in class when it comes to customer service,” Saunders noted. “Someone is always on hand to answer questions, solve problems, and make suggestions. When we think of something they haven’t, they listen, embrace our ideas, and create them. It’s clear how hard they work to provide constant upgrades to their platform with a steady stream of new ideas along with detailed demonstrations on implementing them and using the platform to its full potential.”
In the sophisticated, high-end markets where the GPS team works, the production value is everything. Nothing short of a fully polished and complete product will do. Studeo helps Saunders and her team deliver that level of service and more.
“It’s like having a production studio at our fingertips! One that allows us to combine multimedia, such as video and stills, to produce professional slideshows, which are very impressive. There’s a huge library of cinemagraphs, great graphics, and the ability to add narration, and even overlay with music if we want to. All of this combines to make our listings look (and sound) very appealing. With Studeo providing everything we need to succeed, there really is no limit to what we can do; it’s really up to our imagination.”
Saunders and the team have gone beyond the interactive presentation and use Studeo for additional applications. “We provide interactive training storybooks for our agents, our teams, and even our global partners by providing presentations in their language, using Google translate if we need to. We now share short narrated presentations to our referral agents for them to understand how we will take care of their clients. The real beauty of Studeo is that we can share the finished product as a link, email, on our social media platforms, and even texts, as the storybooks are exceptionally mobile-friendly.”
For Diaz and Saunders, Studeo is not just a ‘nice to have’ tool. Studeo is a permanent and vital part of their tech stack. As Saunders said, “It’s more essential when used creatively than any other marketing tool we’ve used to date.”
Learn more about how to sell your listings faster and win online with Studeo.